INDIANAPOLIS — Another forever moment, another remember-when catch dialed up when the New York Giants absolutely, positively needed it.

Quarterback Eli Manning’s 38-yard guided missile up the left sideline Sunday night not only was the longest play of Super Bowl XLVI, it was a snapshot for all time as the Giants used another improbable catch to defeat the New England Patriots in the league’s title game for the second time in the past five seasons.

It was the result of the right-time efforts of those involved, but also one built through their efforts throughout the game.

“I had no doubt Eli would make a play in the moment,” Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz said. “And I had no doubt Mario could make a play like that at the right time.”

With the Patriots leading 17-15 with 3 minutes, 46 seconds remaining in the game, the Giants’ offense stood over the ball at their 12-yard line. And with the game on the line, they found themselves still wrestling with what every offense wrestles with against Patriots coach Bill Belichick.

That is, wrestling with what to do, with how to win, when Belichick’s scheme removes a key piece from the offense’s puzzle.

The Patriots had made their defensive intentions known from the opening snap, doubling Cruz in the slot at almost every opportunity. Cruz had led New York in catches, yards and receiving touchdowns in the regular season and was routinely at the epicenter of their game-changing plays.

An explosive catch-and-run playmaker, Cruz had all of two receptions for 10 yards at the end of three quarters Sunday night, only four catches for 25 fairly harmless yards when the Giants opened their final possession.

“Then we hit Mario Manningham on the go route,” Manning said.

“That was Manningham’s play, that put us over the top,” wide receiver Hakeem Nicks said. “For real, that’s the play that put us over the top. That was clutch and we made it at the right time.”

On first-and-10, in a three-wide receiver set, Manningham was lined up as lone wide receiver to the left side of the formation with Cruz in the right slot and Nicks wide right to go with Manning in the shotgun. The Giants had tight end Bear Pascoe, their only tight end who had not already been injured in the game, on the outside shoulder of left tackle David Diehl, flipping the strong side of the formation to the left.

Running back Ahmad Bradshaw was lined up just to Manning’s right, as the extra blocker to that side of the formation.

But the Giants had constructed the moment, that formation, throughout the game. Because they had run the ball so effectively out of their three-wide receiver look for much of the evening — the Giants rushed for 114 yards overall in the game — the Patriots abandoned their 3-4 look and instead answered with four down linemen as the Giants opened what became the game-winning drive.

That left New England with two linebackers in coverage to go with five defensive backs. One of those defensive backs, cornerback Sterling Moore, who had knocked the ball away from Ravens wide receiver Lee Evans in the AFC championship game to put the Patriots in the title game, found himself isolated on Manningham and lost his battle at the moment Manningham went by him after the snap.

The Patriots safeties were in the middle of the field to help on the inside routes, in a cover-2 look, in particular Cruz’s cut to the inside, as well as the possibility the Giants would run on first down. Manning quickly glanced right before looking Manningham’s way. He threw to Manningham’s outside shoulder with Moore trailing the play, and Manning dropped the ball into Manningham’s waiting hands.

Manningham already had a firm grip on the ball by the time safety Patrick Chung arrived, with Manningham dragging his toes as he fell out of bounds.

“They were in a cover-2. That’s usually not how you match up,” Manning said. “They had us covered pretty well to the right. I saw I had the safety cheated in a bit and threw it down the sideline.”

“We just couldn’t quite make enough plays,” Belichick said. “There really isn’t too much more to say about it.”

Manning then hit Manningham on his next two completions, for 16 and 2 yards, respectively, and eventually turned it all into a nine-play, 88-yard scoring drive that gave the franchise its fourth Super Bowl victory.

All with David Tyree on the team’s sideline. Manningham joins Tyree in team lore since it was Tyree’s 32-yard against-the-helmet catch, on a third-and-5 play, that was the key play in the Giants’ game-winning drive in Super Bowl XLII to close out the 2007 season.

“We were just trying to be patient,” Manningham said. “You have to be patient with this game. You take what the defense gives you, you react to what you see. It was a great call at the right time. The ball was perfect. All I had to do was get my feet down and hang on. We had a lot of confidence, we felt like we could make the plays we had to make.”

More in Sports

David Wise dug deep Thursday on his final run, spinning the strongest run of his stellar career with back-to-back switch double corks to sneak past teammate Alex Ferreira and claim his second Olympic gold.

EDMONTON, Alberta — In two games since returning from an eight-game injury absence, Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon has four points, including a goal, and multiple shots off the post or crossbar. The 22-year-old has undoubtedly re-proven that he is the Avs’ most valuable player — the player they must have in the lineup to make a legitimate playoff push.